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Researchers say ear tubes are safe for children with cochlear implants

Children who are being treated for hearing loss with cochlear implants can safely have ear tubes installed to help clear up infections, say researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB).

25 Jun 2010

Congressional hearing explores Medicare payment issues, including permanent 'doc fix'

A House Energy and Commerce Committee hearing Wednesday ostensibly about a recent Medicare Payment Advisory Commission report veered to discussion of the so-called "doc fix." The panel's chairman, Rep. Frank Pallone, D-N.J., called the ongoing efforts to delay the 21 percent cut in Medicare physician payments "the elephant in the room" and added that the "Democrats and Republicans in the House and Senate, as well as the physician community, need to work together to develop a permanent fix to this problem that has vexed all of us for far too long.

25 Jun 2010

U.S. District Court Judge approves amended settlement in WTC litigation

At the conclusion of a hearing today, Judge Alvin K. Hellerstein of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York signed an order approving the amended settlement reached among the WTC Captive Insurance Company (the "WTC Captive"), the City of New York, the contractors the City hired, their subcontractors, and attorneys for over 10,000 plaintiffs alleging injuries from the WTC site operations.

24 Jun 2010

ACGME task force presents draft standards that revise requirements for better supervision, duty hours

The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education task force charged with reassessing resident training program standards today presented a comprehensive set of draft standards that revise requirements for supervision and duty hours to better match residents' levels of experience and emerging competencies, advancing both graduate medical education and quality patient care in the nation's teaching hospitals.

24 Jun 2010

PBMs: Post Office plan to end Saturday shipments could boost drug prices

Pharmacy-benefits management companies, including CVS Caremark and Medco, are worried that a U.S. Postal Service plan to end Saturday delivery could raise mail-order drug prices, Bloomberg Businessweek reports. "The pharmacy-benefits management companies, which shipped more than 150 million drug orders last year, joined retailer Crate and Barrel and publishers of small newspapers to challenge the Postal Service and its plan to cut service to save about $3 billion a year." The Post Office is trying to combat a projected $7 billion deficit this year (Keane, 6/21).

23 Jun 2010

Politics surround Berwick, no hearings scheduled for CMS nominee

"Hospital executives who have worked with Dr. Berwick describe him as a visionary, inspiring leader. But a battle has erupted over his nomination, suggesting that Dr. Berwick faces a long uphill struggle to win Senate confirmation. Republicans are using the nomination to revive their arguments against the new health care law, which they see as a potent issue in this fall's elections, and Dr. Berwick has given them plenty of ammunition. In two decades as a professor of health policy and as a prolific writer, he has spoken of the need to ration health care and cap spending and has confessed to a love affair with the British health care system."

23 Jun 2010

World's first invisible-in-the-canal hearing aid launched

Starkey Laboratories, Inc., one of the world's leading hearing technology companies, is excited to introduce the S Series™ iQ OtoLens™, the world's first invisible-in-the-canal (IIC) hearing aid. OtoLens, a custom-molded hearing aid built using Starkey's Comfort Fit process, lives in the second bend of the ear, meaning that it is truly 100 percent invisible.

22 Jun 2010

Congressional hearing examines administration's crack down on health care fraud

The feds have promised to turn up the heat on providers, real and phony, who steal from and game the system. ... Lawmakers and President Barack Obama are demanding that the CMS and their partners in law enforcement do more to stem the wasted healthcare dollars gushing out of the Treasury like oil into the Gulf of Mexico.

22 Jun 2010

CNA blasts PERB for colluding with UC in suppression of RNs democratic rights

The California Nurses Association/National Nurses United today blasted the state agency that oversees public employee relations for its active collusion with University of California hospital officials in seeking to suppress the democratic rights of registered nurses, and charged the UC hospital system with employing unfair market competition with other corporate hospital chains in its attacks on UC RNs.

19 Jun 2010

Health settlement for ground zero workers faces new hurdles

The Wall Street Journal: "After years of frustration, workers sickened in the recovery and cleanup efforts after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks are on the verge of getting paid for their illnesses. Yet the proposed legal settlement of up to $712 million also would pay money to thousands of people who aren't sick at all. That's just one of the concerns that could scuttle the proposed deal, which requires approval of 95% of those suing for compensation."

19 Jun 2010

Nationwide campaign encourages teens to resist drug use, stay above negative influences

Milwaukee teens are part of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy's new, nationwide campaign encouraging teens to engage in a conversation about the positive and negative pressures that influence their decisions. The Influence Project is part of a new initiative of the anti-drug teen brand, Above the Influence, which emphasizes what teens do to resist drug use and stay "above" negative influences.

18 Jun 2010

U.S. District Court pre-trial ruling favors SPI Pharma in Roquette Freres patent dispute

On Friday June 11th, Chief Judge Gregory Sleet of the United States District Court for the District of Delaware issued an important pre-trial ruling in the long-running patent dispute between SPI Pharma and Roquette Freres.

18 Jun 2010

Drug makers face tightened regulations by FDA and less clout at medical meetings

The Washington Post: "The Food and Drug Administration this week began posting online the results of safety evaluations of recently approved drugs and vaccines. The action follows a law enacted in 2007 that requires the agency to provide more safety information to consumers and health professionals. The evaluations must be conducted 18 months after a new drug comes on the market.

18 Jun 2010

Justice Department asks court to throw out states' lawsuit challenging health overhaul

The Associated Press reports that the Justice Department filed a motion in Florida late Wednesday asking a "federal judge to dismiss a lawsuit by 20 states challenging President Barack Obama's health care overhaul." The states are arguing that the federal government cannot require individuals to buy health insurance, a key provision of the new health law.

18 Jun 2010

Sonomax Technologies, Esterline Racal Acoustics agree to establish R&D License Agreement

Sonomax Technologies Inc. is pleased to announce that it has signed another in a series of Term Sheets that it intends to enter into in 2010. The agreement is with Racal Acoustics Ltd., a component of Esterline Technologies Corp. Under the terms of the agreement the parties have agreed to work toward establishing an R&D License Agreement by July 15th, 2010, the object of which will be to evaluate then develop the use of Sonomax V4 earpiece technology as the centerpiece in the development of a suite of military hearing protection and communication applications.

17 Jun 2010

Studies suggest role for IL-10 in prevention and treatment of neurological disease in newborns

This bacterium, Escherichia coli K1, is the most common cause of meningitis in premature infants and the second most common cause of the disease in newborns. "The ineffectiveness of antibiotics in treating newborns with meningitis and the emergence of antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria require new strategies," explains Nemani V. Prasadarao, PhD, associate professor of infectious disease at Childrens Hospital Los Angeles.

17 Jun 2010

Fertility drugs cause multiple and premature births

The widespread use of fertility drugs, not just high-tech laboratory procedures, plays a major role in causing multiple births and contributes to the problem of premature birth in the United States, experts said today at the March of Dimes National Communications Advisory Council luncheon.

17 Jun 2010

Xacore signs agreement with ESSE to tackle challenge of military hearing loss

Xacore announces today that they have entered into an agreement with Ellis Services and Solutions Enterprises, LLC headed by retired US Army Four-Star General Larry R. Ellis and his group of experienced professionals to tackle the challenge of military hearing loss. This agreement joins Xacore's leading edge noise protection DSP radio headset technology with the strengths of ESSE's experience in marketing and solutions with the military and government.

17 Jun 2010

New drug application for ulipristal acetate as emergency contraceptive misleading, says Family Research Council

Tomorrow, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will hold a hearing to consider approval of a new drug application for an abortifacient drug, ulipristal acetate, as an emergency contraceptive, or a new "Plan B."

17 Jun 2010

When doctors don't comment, parents tend to underestimate preschool children's weight: Study

Parents are more likely to underestimate their preschool children's weight when pediatricians do not tell them their children are overweight or gaining weight too fast, a study by the University of South Florida and Johns Hopkins University reports.

16 Jun 2010

Hearing News and Research

Researchers say ear tubes are safe for children with cochlear implants

Congressional hearing explores Medicare payment issues, including permanent 'doc fix'

U.S. District Court Judge approves amended settlement in WTC litigation

ACGME task force presents draft standards that revise requirements for better supervision, duty hours

PBMs: Post Office plan to end Saturday shipments could boost drug prices

Politics surround Berwick, no hearings scheduled for CMS nominee

World's first invisible-in-the-canal hearing aid launched

Congressional hearing examines administration's crack down on health care fraud

CNA blasts PERB for colluding with UC in suppression of RNs democratic rights

Health settlement for ground zero workers faces new hurdles

Nationwide campaign encourages teens to resist drug use, stay above negative influences

U.S. District Court pre-trial ruling favors SPI Pharma in Roquette Freres patent dispute

Drug makers face tightened regulations by FDA and less clout at medical meetings

Justice Department asks court to throw out states' lawsuit challenging health overhaul

Sonomax Technologies, Esterline Racal Acoustics agree to establish R&D License Agreement

Studies suggest role for IL-10 in prevention and treatment of neurological disease in newborns

Fertility drugs cause multiple and premature births

Xacore signs agreement with ESSE to tackle challenge of military hearing loss

New drug application for ulipristal acetate as emergency contraceptive misleading, says Family Research Council

When doctors don't comment, parents tend to underestimate preschool children's weight: Study

Professor Nancy Ip: Pioneering New Paths in Neurodegenerative Therapy

Utilizing process Raman in optimizing cultivated meat production

Exploring the G:Box and for high-quality imaging

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